Patriotic (and not so patriotic) lyrics

This week, we are celebrating Canada Day and Independence Day. And on this fourth of July, I am thinking of my friends and family south of the border and hoping they are enjoying their day. In celebration, I am sharing some lyrics about both countries.

Starting with Canada:

CA-NA-DA
(One little two little three Canadians)
We love thee
(Now we are twenty million)
CA-NA-DA
(Four little five little six little Provinces)
Proud and free
(Now we are ten and the Territories sea to sea)
(CA-NA-DA (or the Centennial Song))
I still have a 45 of this song (perhaps I shouldn't admit to this as it wasn't mine originally - probably my parents or older sister - they may claim it back)


Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
(Home by Michael Bublé)

The morning light steals across my windowpane
Where webs of snow are driftin'
If I could only have you near
To breathe a sigh or two
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
Upon this winter's night with you
And to be once again with with you
(Song for a winter's song by Gordon Lightfoot)

Un Canadien errant,
Banni de ses foyers,
Parcourait en pleurant
Des pays étrangers.
(translation:
An errant ‘Canadien’
Banished from his homeland
Weeping, he travels on
Wandering through foreign lands
(Un Canadien errant written in 1842 by Antoine Gérin-Lajoie after the Lower Canada Rebellion)
(also recorded by Leonard Cohen in 1979)

There is a town in north Ontario,
With dream comfort memory to spare,
And in my mind
I still need a place to go,
All my changes were there.
(Helpless by Neil Young - I know the k.d. Lang version)

Ain't no school bus (ain't no school bus)
Ain't no streetcar (ain't no streetcar)
Ain't no subway car (ain't no subway car)
The Spadina bus (the Spadina bus)
(Spadina Bus by The Shuffle Demons)

Coo roo coo coo coo coo coo coo...
Take off to the great white north
Its a beauty way to go
Take off to the great white north
(Take Off by Bob and Doug McKenzie)

or if you prefer

On the 6th day of Christmas my true love game to me
6 packs of 2-4
5 golden tuques
4 pounds of back bacon
3 french toasts
2 turtle necks
and a beer in a tree



Everything's gone wrong
Since Canada came along
Blame Canada
(Blame Canada as heard on South Park)




For my friends in the U.S.:

Some folks like to get away, take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to miami beach or hollywood.
Im taking a greyhound on the hudson river line
Im in a new york state of mind.
(New York State of Mind by Billy Joel)

I want to wake up in a city that doesn't sleep
(New York New York by Frank Sinatra)

Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' USA

Philadelphia,
Brotherly love.
(Philadelphia by Neil Young)

There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
(the House of the Rising Sun by The Animals and by U2/Green Day - see below)

New birth...rebirth...Trombone Shorty
Living like birds in the magnolia trees
Child on the rooftop, mother on her knees
Her sign reads Please!!! I am an American!!!!
(The Saints Are Coming by U2 and Green Day as performed live at the New Orleans Saints game)




Do you know what it means
to miss New Orleans
and miss it each night and day

From the lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennessee,
across the plains of Texas, from sea to shining sea,
From Detroit down to Houston and New York to LA,
Well, there’s pride in every American heart,
and it’s time to stand and say:
I'm proud to be an American
(God Bless the U.S.A. by Lee Greenwood)

America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
(America the Beautiful)

Songs that have been used for both countries:

Mon pays ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver (my country is not a country, it is winter)
Mon jardin ce n'est pas un jardin, c'est la plaine (my garden is not a garden, it's the plain)
Mon chemin ce n'est pas un chemin, c'est la neige (my road is not a road, it is snow)
Mon pays ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver (my country is not a country, it is winter)
(Mon pays by Gilles Vigneault)

I'm a star in New York, I'm a star in L.A.
In my life there's no place for the man that I love
'Cause I'm livin' my life just to sing and be free
From L.A. to New York, from New York to L.A.
(From New York to L.A. performed by Patsy Gallant to the tune of Mon Pays)


Don't want to be an American idiot.
One nation controlled by the media.
Information age of hysteria.
It's calling out to idiot America.
(American Idiot by Green Day)

Don't wanna be a Canadian idiot
Don't wanna be some beer swillin' hockey nut
And do I look like some frostbitten hose-head?
I never learned my alphabet from A to Zed
(Canadian Idiot by Weird Al Yankovic)


This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.
(This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie)

This land is your land, this land is my land
From Banavista, to Vancouver Island
From the Arctic Circle to the Great Lakes waters,
This land was made for you and me.
(recorded by The Travellers in 1955)


And to finish off, back to classic Canadian songs:

Hello out there we're on the air it's hockey night tonite
Tension grows the whistle blows-& the puck goes down the ice.
The goalie jumps and the players bump and the fans all go insane
Someone roars "Bobby scores!" at the good ole hockey game
(The Hockey Song by Stompin Tom Connors)




Last but not least (no lyrics needed),

New music finds - something for everyone

For the eclectic move and groove fan - Yaov
Sultry jazz vocals - Melody Gardot
For some smooth down home R&B - Lizz Wright
Singer songwriter soulman - Jamie Lidell
Moving to some urban hip hop - Platinum Pied Pipers (aka PPP)

I just found these last night (NOW and HMV sources) and downloaded 2-4 tracks per artist, so repeat airplay hasn't pushed them all right --> to the PJMixer Hot Music List yet.

The one trick I use when exploring a new artist is to use iTunes to see which tracks are the most popular - it's usually a good starting point.

Dream Lyrics

While out with friends the other night we got talking about favourite songs. Specifically what is your favourite song of all time?

This seems like an easy answer at first, but the closer I get to an answer, the harder I think it is. My all-time top 10 or top 100 I could answer more easily. There would be some songs for happy times and sad times. Songs I love for the melody, others for the lyrics. Some songs that speak to me or put a smile on my face. Songs that bring me back to a specific place, time or people.

So to pick just one song from all the songs that I love? I'm going to take some time with this one and report back next week.

So for now, I will share more of my favourite lyrics. Lyrics about dreaming always speak to me...as I am a dreamer and my friends tell me I live in a rose-coloured world. Even back in high school, my entry in my yearbook was: "Usually Found... daydreaming". I haven't changed much.


You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
and the world will be as one.
(Imagine by John Lennon)

J'rêve les yeux ouverts
Ça m'fait du bien
(Les Yeux Ouverts by Beautiful South from French Kiss soundtrack)

and the English version of the song:
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you.
But in your dreams whatever they be, dream a little dream of me.

I am a dreamer but when I wake
You can't break my spirit -- it's my dreams you take
(Goodbye My Lover by James Blunt)

I used to be a dreamer
Couldn't fall asleep
Trying to find an answer
A reason to believe
(Live by Ben's Brother)

I want to change the world...instead I sleep.
(Keep Breathing by Ingrid Michaelson)

Got my dreams, got my life, got my love
Got my friends, got the sunshine above
(Happy by Natasha Bedingfield)

And while I can think, while I can talk
While I can stand, while I can walk
While I can dream, please let my dream
Come true, right now.
(If I Can Dream by Elvis Presley)

Love Lyrics

In honour of my wedding anniversary this weekend, I thought I would share some of my favourite lyrics about love (not that our anniversary or love are frivolous but sharing favourite lyrics may become a regular fun thing for me to do).


With all your faults, I love you still
(It Had To Be You by Harry Connick Jr.)

When the chips are down I'll be around
With my undying, death-defying
Love for you
(Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood)

I hope all my days
Will be lit by your face
I hope all the years
Will hold tight our promises
(Atlantic by Keane)

There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be
(White Flag by Dido)

I want somebody who cares
For me passionately
With every thought and
With every breath
(Somebody by Depeche Mode)

I love you more than I could ever promise
and you take me the way I am
(The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson)

Love is the answer
for most of the questions of my heart
(Better Together by Jack Johnson)

it's the heart that really matters in the end
(Little Wonders by Rob Thomas)

So put your arms around me and then stay there forever
Let it always be this way, you and me forever
(Put your arms around me by Natasha Bedingfield)

Hope you enjoyed and have a wonderful Victoria Day weekend.

Controversial thought of the day

Just got a few quiet moments sitting in my car waiting for my 1pm meeting...

I was listening to some great tracks from the Timbaland album on the drive here. Some great lyrics and a fab urban hip hop beat.

But as I found myself singing along to the explicit lyrics I had a natural hesitation on the buddy use of the N word.

Am I allowed to say the N word as I'm singing along ? Should I sensor myself ? Am I dissin' anyone ?

Concerned and confused.

Hey PJ, put a record on

I finally got around to adding a new playlist on finetune, hope you like it - Latest rotation of tracks just in time for spring 2008. All over the map with a few old surprises, but common thread comes back to giving you something to move to. To access all my playlists go here.

New music

I've recently switched downloading to a new Russian site as mp3sparks is still experiencing payment problems. The new one is legalsounds.com which Eco found a while ago. Same gray area legalities as other Russian sites, but good up-to-date library and no-nonsense interface. And did I say cheap, how's 9c a song ?

So equipped with a stack of Q mags, iTunes and mp3sparks.com sampling, and some snooty guidance from metacritic.com and an open mind, here are some of the many varied and interesting finds early in 2008. Note score links will take you to the great consolidated review on metacritic and the myspace links are ok but quite slow to load.

Black Mountain - In the Future. A Vancouver band I only just heard about, 4/5 in Q; 79 on metacritic. Retro psychedelica, I especially like the mellow tracks with Amber Webber singing and the the hit track Stormy High. Big enough impact to make me download some old 60's tracks yesterday (Byrds, Mamas & Papas, etc.) for a Inspired by Flower Power playlist. Playing Lee's in March. My score: 7/10.

Cat Power - Jukebox. She's an example of an artist who you need to be in the mood for and she probably won't be what you're expecting. I sampled some tracks quite a while ago, but they didn't take. A hot-off-the-press February Q review (3/5) gave me reason to sample again - this time - I discovered some lovingly assembled cover tracks sung by a lovely voice that will be getting some regular mellow evening rotation. 71 on matacritic. 8/10.

Roisin Murphy - Overpowered. I missed this one in 07. Again, re-reading some old Qs caught me in the mood. Well balanced energy for the some great dance pop. Catchy vid for single, 4/5 in Nov Q, 29th on best of 2007, 82 on metacritic. 7.5/10.


Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger. Warm production with heartfelt country rock lyrics. Another one I missed in 07, 4/5 in July Q, 27th on best of 2007, 76 on metacritic. 7.5/10.


Morcheeba - Dive Deep. I couldn't have a best of without a little electronica could I ? This is the latest from one of my faves, this time with a few guest singers. I think Enjoy the Ride is a fantastic track. They are playing here in March - anyone want to join me ? I couldn't find a Q or metacritic review, but one that I did find that stood out was the Independent's 5/5 score. Mine is 7.5/10 for the 4 tracks I've downloaded so far.